THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 307 



*when you can. Before I quit this fubject, I mufl 

 mention an extraordinary inflance of fagacity in 

 a bitch- fox, that was digged out of an earth with 

 four young ones, and brought in a fack upwards 

 of twenty miles to a gentleman in my neighbour-* 

 hood, to be turned out the next day before bis 

 hounds. This fox, weak as fhe mull have been, 

 ran in a Urait line back again to her own country^ 

 crofTed two rivers, and was at laft killed near to 

 the earth fhe was digged out of the day before.—- 

 Foxes that are bred in chfTs near the fca, feldom 

 are known to ramble any great diftance i'rom 

 them ; and fportfmen, who know the country 

 where this fox was turned out, will tell you, that 

 there is not the lead rcafon to think that Hie 

 could have any knowledge of it. 



Beiides the digging of foxes, by which method 

 tnany young ones arc taken, and old ones de- 

 ftroyed ; traps, &c. too often are fatal to them. 

 Farmers for their lambs, (which, by the bye, 

 few foxes ever kill) gentlemen for their game, and 

 old women for their poultry, are their inveterate 

 enemies. I mull, however, give an inflance of 

 civility I once met with from a farmer. — The 

 hounds had found, and were running hard ; the 

 farmer came up in highfpirits, and faid, " I hope, 

 *^ Sir, you will kill him; he has done me much 

 '' damage lately ; he carried away all my ducks 

 *' laft week : — I would not W« him thouch — too 



X 2 *' goad, 



